The Death of SEO as we knew it!

The rules of the game change constantly in the world of SEO. It is estimated that Google changes its algorithm between 500 and 600 times a year. This means that every algorithmic change can make what was generating and holding your rankings now a threat to them. In recent years, there have been two changes that marked the world of online marketing.

Both changes wreaked havoc on search results. Panda affected 12% of the pages worldwide; The Penguin a little less, with 3%. Due to these two changes, many specialists have stated that “SEO is dead”. It is a topic of discussion within the online marketing world, which has generated many discussions. But to say that the SEO died, before would have to consider that is what made it “die” in the first place. Then, you have to analyze in what has become the SEO, which is what matters now, and that is what is coming. Having said all this, I wonder: is SEO dead or not?

The death of the old SEO

What I am going to say next is going to be a bit contradictory: the current SEO is no longer the SEO that you knew. Put another way, the SEO that you knew, and that unfortunately many still believe it exists, no longer serves. Worse still, much of what was served a year ago no longer serves! I witnessed that. Not more than 9 months ago I used to use some “black hat” strategies, which brought me quick results. If I wanted to use them today, they would not serve me. (And if they serve, the truth I do not want to know.) Knowing all this, think, what stopped serving? What does it matter no?

Non-Original Content

First of all, forget the non-original content. That of taking an article and modifying it to use it 500 times does not work. Bah, if you want to upload a used article without even mentioning the source, there you go. Do not complain if Google does not index you afterwards.

Complex link building strategies

That of making link pyramids, or link wheels, does not work. First, because they are very expensive. Second, because they take too long to apply. Third, because they are too complex. Fourth, and more important … yes, you guessed it. Because they do not serve!

Advertisements

Every time I enter a page full of Adsense everywhere I feel like going out running naked on the 9th of July (well, maybe not so much). I get frustrated every time I see a page ruined by advertising. That does not mean you can not use any advertising on your page. The point is that if that is your only source of income, and you do not take your page as a real business, Google will eventually suspect, and possibly penalize you. For example, you can use some advertising if you have a very specific niche blog that you use because you simply want to help. Now, if your blog is a business, then treat it like a business. If I own a shoe store, and I see a customer coming in to see shoes, I do not jump in the face to shout “WE HAVE DISCOUNTS! MY PRODUCTS ARE CHEAPER”. The idea is that for wanting to make a few pesos more, you are left with fewer customers. (Now that I say that, I make you look like a fool, right?).

About optimization

Dear, it’s fine that you do not know how SEO works perfectly, but please do not over optimize your page! Not because Guru X has said that you have to use your keyword the 1.0501% of your article means that you have to listen to him. Did not it occur to you that the Guru only wanted to make money, instead of helping you? If you did not think of it, then think about it. About optimization is one of the most common positioning errors that are made. More than you can imagine. For example, if your keyword is “Guadalajara financial consulting”, then in the article you write take that keyword and use it in:

Title;

In h1;

In the alt tag;

In the file name the main image;

Two or three times inside the body.

Final point. Everything else adds little or nothing. It does not matter the truth. The important thing is that you do not waste time with details that will not serve you. Although in the example I used an article, the same applies to videos, infographics and other types of content. That is the most important thing to take into account. As long as you do not make those mistakes, you’re going to be fine. Now that we know what is NOT good, we can move on to what matters.

The new SEO: More value for your customers

What can we say about the new SEO? Let’s start with the basics. Every successful online marketing strategy must provide value to its customers. And by “value” I mean any kind of genuine interest in helping their customers solve their problems. Whether through advice, ideas or practical guides, all point to the same premise: more value, more customers. It is not only a question of karma, but principles. It may be counter intuitive to many “experts”, but that’s the way internet marketing works today. Although it is harder to calculate the ROI this way, mind me, it works better this way. Think, if you are here reading this is for something. S are eguramente looking for solutions to your problems . I know that helping you, sooner or later I will receive something from you; Whether in the form of customers, referrals, good vibes, a simply a nice tweet . Everything, somehow, comes back. (This may sound very mystical to you. Do not be suspicious, it is not my intention to mix SEO with mystique.) The important thing is that you stay with the idea of providing value to your customers. That’s what matters.

The new principles

Among the new essential principles of any successful SEO campaign, we have four that stand out above the rest. They are not “strategies” or “magic tricks”, they are the basis of everything else, those that define the success or failure of an SEO campaign. You are: quality content, excellent usability, modern design and solid relationships . Let’s start with the first thing.

Is content the new SEO?

As many already know, content is one of the main corners of any successful online marketing campaign. Some say ” content is king “. The truth, I do not know if that phrase is true. For me it’s too simplistic. However, the idea is clear: content matters . I do not want to go into this topic too much because I have already written too much on this subject. Anyway, I would like to clarify some aspects: can it be successful without a content strategy? Maybe yes . But it is much more complicated and expensive, plus it takes more time. Let’s say it like this, it’s not worth it to do without a content strategy just because you do not want to and do not think it works for you . For me, If you want to improve your rankings and attract more customers , you have to have a content strategy . It is an essential requirement. For example, if a customer comes and tells me that he wants better rankings, but does not want to achieve them through content, I decline my services. Not because you can not, but because, to my taste, it’s not worth it.

Usability, more important than ever

Another important concept is usability. What is usability? In short, it is every practice that improves the use of the web page by the user . Usability allows you to make the most of your web page , because thanks to it you can improve things like the number of subscribers to your email list, time on page, among others. Among some simple ideas that you can apply right now, we have:

Remove advertising from your web page;

Improve site speed;

Improve content and the way you present it;

Improve web design (as you will see below).

Design matters

I will be honest: I never tire of seeing badly designed “authority” pages . I can not believe it. Are we so ill-used Ibero-Americans to see poor quality pages that do not bother us when we see one? Whatever the reason behind that, we have to change it. If I see a poorly designed page, it will automatically be that the page administrator does not care about their clients and users . Ill weigh you, it is so. Along with usability, design is a key to improving the success of your online marketing campaigns. But when I talk about design, I do not mean just the design of your web page. Absolutely. When I talk about design, I mean the design of:

Your newsletter;

Your products;

Your videos;

Your social networks;

And, of course, your web page.

Design affects all areas of your business , some that you can not imagine. For example, if the design of your page is ugly, and that frustrates me, I probably will not want to stay on your page, because if I continue I will surely find myself again with more frustrations . That is why it is essential that you seek to improve the design of your entire page.

A little old school

Although all this to many is too technological, the last thing that, to my liking, defines the success of any digital marketing campaign, is something for nothing technological. Something that our grandparents and probably the grandparents of our grandparents used to use as the main marketing strategy. Ponete to think for a moment. What were our grandparents doing to get more clients? They used their personal relationships . I know, I think it’s too cliche. I understand, I also thought the same in the beginning. But, although it costs you to believe it, it is so. Without relationships it is not possible to guarantee the success of any digital marketing campaign . Today there are many online marketing specialists who are hired specifically for certain industries because they are known to already have contacts within it. Whether it’s influencers, other entrepreneurs or just popularity. They have relationships, an asset that can not be bought in any way. Whether you’re doing a link building campaign, or when you’re new to a new product, relationships make the difference.

Conclusion

The SEO is not dead completely. It is only mutating into something much larger and more complex . For many that is wrong. For others, that is not SEO anymore. And for me? I think it does not matter. In the end, SEO was created to improve web positioning . If I changed form or name I do not care, as long as the idea continues to improve your positioning, for me any name is worth. For you, what has changed for you in recent times? What other changes do you think are coming?